A care home for the elderly has failed to improve on its rating after a follow-up inspection from the health watchdog found it continued to breach regulations.

The Care Quality Commission inspected Four Seasons Care Home in Breightmet, which provides residential, nursing and dementia care, and branded the service as 'requires improvement'.

An unannounced inspection was completed in July 2019 after two people died, at the time the rating was downgraded from good to requires improvement.

CQC inspectors returned in August this year to ensure management had followed their action plan.

The report published recently said: "The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show that they would do and by when to improve.

"At this inspection enough improvement had not been sustained and the provider was still in breach of regulations.

"This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections."

Inspectors found that people's medicines were not always prescribed in a safe way.

The report said: "We found no evidence that people had been harmed, however because guidance was not always being followed and care records were not always clear, this placed people at risk of harm."

Owners of the home, HC-One, said that they acted on the breaches immediately.

The reported added: "The provider responded immediately during and after the inspection.

"They confirmed all the issues we identified with the safe management of people's medicines had been immediately investigated and dealt with."

A spokeswoman for HC-One, who operate the care home, said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our Residents is our number one priority, and we take all feedback from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) very seriously.

"We were disappointed by the findings from the inspection back in August and we immediately addressed the breaches which were found.

"We have a comprehensive action plan in place and our effective management team are supporting the home to continue to make and sustain improvements.

"Our team have worked hard to achieve these improvements over the last few months during a time when the home was facing a global pandemic that severely affected the entire sector.

“We are heartened that the CQC found that we have robust infection control procedures in place and that our team provides consistent, effective and timely care to our Residents.

"We are extremely grateful to our fantastic colleagues who have been working hard to support the home and for the dedication they have shown to our Residents throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are working closely with all relevant authorities and we are confident that, by the time of our next inspection, the CQC will be able to see further improvements again at the home.”